Israel air strike against Syria will not go unanswered: Ali Akbar Velayati

A senior aide to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution says the Israeli regime’s recent attack on an air base in the Syrian province of Homs will not go unanswered.

“Definitely, this crime will not remain without a response,” Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on international affairs, told IRNA and IRIB upon his arrival in the Syrian capital of Damascus on Tuesday.

He added that Iran would strongly defend Syria’s territorial integrity and national sovereignty.

Two Israeli F-15 warplanes carried out strikes from Lebanese air space on T-4 air base in Homs on Sunday that killed and wounded several people. Syrian air defense systems shot down five out of eight missiles fired.

Syria on Monday warned about the “dangerous repercussions” of Israeli assaults on its territories, stressing that the recent attack on Homs would not have been possible without massive US support.

In a letter to the United Nations secretary general and the UNSC president, Syrian Foreign Ministry said in the framework of its policies based on practicing state terror and providing constant support for armed terrorist groups as well as violating UNSC resolutions, the authorities of the Israeli regime renewed acts of aggression against Syrian territories, with Israeli F15 jets launching missiles from the Lebanese airspace on T-4 airport in Homs province.

Iran also on Monday strongly condemned the Israeli regime’s air strike, saying it was a blatant violation of international law which would strengthen terrorists.

“The Israeli regime’s aggression against Syria is a breach of this country’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity and runs counter to all international regulations and principles,” Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said.

Velayati, who is in Damascus to attend a conference on Palestine, said Iran would continue its support for the people and the government of Syria in the fight against their enemies, particularly the Israeli regime and its puppets in the Arab country.

He added that the “very important” achievements made by the Syrian army and its allies in the campaign against militants in the Eastern Ghouta have irked Syria’s enemies.

Such victories made the US and the Israeli regime hatch an “evil plot” and falsely accuse the Syrian government of conducting a chemical attack near the Syrian capital, Velayati said.

He added that like the past seven years following the outbreak of a foreign-backed crisis in Syria, enemies would not be able to obtain their vicious goals in the Arab country and across the Middle East in the future either.

Eastern Ghouta, which is home to nearly 400,000 people, fell to multiple militant groups in 2012, months after Syria plunged into crisis and has since served as a launch pad for fatal attacks against residents and infrastructure in Damascus.

Damascus, in a statement released late on Saturday, strongly rejected the allegation of using chemical munitions and said that the so-called Jaish al-Islam Takfiri terrorist group, which has dominant presence in Douma, was repeating the accusations “in order to accuse the Syrian Arab army, in a blatant attempt to hinder the Army’s advance.”

“The chemical fabrications, which did not serve the terrorists and their sponsors in Aleppo and Eastern Ghouta, will not serve them today either, as the Syrian state is determined to end terrorism in every square inch of Syrian territory,” read the statement.

An initial assessment by the United States has not determined whether a reported chemical attack in Douma was carried out by Syrian government forces, Reuters reports.

The assessment also suggested that a nerve agent was used in the suspected poison attack, but further evidence was needed to determine the type of agent, US government sources told the news agency.